


An Inevitable Conclusion

by megsblackfire



Category: Mortal Kombat (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Ending, Angst, Kenshi saw what you did there, M/M, Mortal Kombat 11, dumbasses being dumbasses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2020-07-25 17:56:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20029957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megsblackfire/pseuds/megsblackfire
Summary: They had won. Against all the odds, they had won. That should have been means for celebration, but for Kuai Liang, it was a time to reflect on all he's lost. He isn't ready to face Scorpion, but the revenant was not going to give him the option to hide.There's also the problem of what they were going to do with the Hourglass now that Kronika was gone. Kuai has an answer and it will drastically change everything.





	An Inevitable Conclusion

**Author's Note:**

> Scorpion and Sub-Zero sitting in a tree. That somehow isn't burning or frozen. I don't know the ship name for them, but it's perfect and I love it, so have some feels.

They had won. Against all odds, they had won. It was something to celebrate, which most of the other warriors were doing up on the beach of Kronika’s island. There were massive cookfires, loud music, and the sounds of revelry as the combined forces of Earthrealm and Outworld celebrated their victory.

For Kuai Liang, however, there was little to celebrate. They had won and that was good, but his heart was still mired with loss. His clan had been wiped out by Frost and her renewal of the Cyber Initiative. His brother was still out there somewhere causing havoc and doing gods only knew what to innocent people. And Hanzo Hasashi was dead and gone, replaced by his young self, the revenant Scorpion. That cut as deeply as any other wound.

His friend was gone. All that he had hoped to achieve with the Shirai Ryu Grandmaster was gone. The Shirai Ryu and Lin Kuei would continue to work towards their goal of defending Earthrealm, but any other plan would be destroyed. Scorpion did not know what Hanzo did. He had not changed, grown, and began anew. He was still burdened with desires of vengeance spawned from lies and manipulation. Scorpion was not Hanzo Hasashi and it broke Kuai’s heart.

So, Kuai hid in the bowels of Kharon’s ship. He was feigning meditation so that the other merry-making warriors left him alone. He couldn’t join them in their celebration; his heart was too heavy, too broken, and too wounded to be anything other than a dark cloud hovering over the festivities. The warriors deserved to celebrate their victory; Kuai Liang simply would not be part of their numbers.

“I did not think that you would hide away, Sub-Zero.”

Kuai squeezed his eyes shut tighter. His heart wailed at the voice that reminded him of Hanzo, but the echoing undertone told him that it was Scorpion.

“I am in no mood to celebrate,” Kuai replied. “I would only ruin the festivities.”

Scorpion’s feet barely made a sound as he walked across the floor. Kuai sensed him grow closer and opened his eyes to watch the revenant kneel down across from him. It was awkward and Kuai was very tempted to look away from the pale white eyes boring into him. He didn’t want Scorpion to think that he was weak; however, he was Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei. He had a reputation to uphold in the eyes of the past Scorpion.

Scorpion did not blink as much as he should have. It made Kuai Liang’s skin crawl. He wanted nothing more than to scoot away from the other man and put more distance between them. Scorpion, however, had other plans.

He shifted closer until their knees were brushing against each other, his pale eyes boring into Kuai’s soul. Kuai tipped his chin back, trying to make himself feel more confident than he did. He didn’t want to be in the same room as Scorpion now that Kronika and her army were defeated. He just wanted to be left alone to mourn the passing of his best friend.

“You and my future self were lovers,” Scorpion said after a very long, awkward silence.

Kuai tensed and wrestled with the desire to look away. “We were,” he said after a moment.

He and Scorpion had not been open about their affections; there was a lot of emotional turmoil to deal with, especially with all of their duties looming over them. Their clans had known, but they had not said anything to their allies out of respect for their privacy. It was not well-known outside of the Fire Gardens or Arctika that Kuai Liang and Hanzo Hasashi spent many nights together in their rooms enjoying one another’s company in whatever way they desired.

Scorpion nodded slowly. “I…guessed as much,” he said. “You looked distraught to see me in the Fire Gardens and then went away to be alone when you learned that Hanzo Hasashi had died. I…had hoped….”

“You had hoped that Hanzo and I were enemies,” Kuai said, anger flooding his limbs. “That way, you wouldn’t feel guilty for gutting me.”

The skin around Scorpion’s dead eyes tightened. “That was not what I meant,” he said. “I do not hate you, Kuai Liang, even if you wearing Sub-Zero’s colours infuriates me.”

“My brother is not responsible for the deaths of your clan,” Kuai snapped as he got to his feet. “It was Quan Chi that laid waste to your clan’s ancestral home, slaughtered your clan, and butchered your wife and son. He planted the image of Bi-Han in your mind to make it easier to control you.”

Scorpion rose to his feet and stood opposite Kuai, white eyes narrowed. “And I am supposed to take that at face value, Lin Kuei dog?”

Kuai punched Scorpion before he’d realized that he moved. Scorpion stumbled back a step, eyes unfocused. Kuai clenched his hand into a fist before he lunged, swinging furiously at Scorpion. He was sick of defending his clan against people like Scorpion. He was sick of having to explain that it was not the Lin Kuei that had been corrupted, but its leaders that had destroyed their honor. They were not Sektor and his father, the previous Grandmasters who had sought to destroy everything that made them strong and replace it with metal, wiring, and oil. He didn’t want to hear that phrase come out of Scorpion’s mouth again.

He didn’t want to hear Hanzo’s voice sneering at him and degrading his clan.

He knocked Scorpion to the ground and straddled him, pinning the revenant down by the throat. He landed two blows to the side of Scorpion’s head before his body was engulfed in flames. He cried out in alarm and pain, turning himself to ice and leaping away. He stood there shaking as his flesh steamed, watching Scorpion as he got back to his feet.

“How could my future self love someone with no self-control?” Scorpion growled.

“It doesn’t concern you,” Kuai snapped. “You aren’t Hanzo. You will never be Hanzo. You’re just Scorpion, the revenant who only desires to see innocent people burn so long as his pain eases.”

The spear sank into Kuai’s shoulder and he was dragged forward before he could even cry out. Scorpion’s elbow slammed into his chest, knocking the wind out of him and making him land hard on his ass. Kuai coughed and stared at the ceiling, his whole world spinning as he struggled to pull air into his lungs. He felt Scorpion’s weight drop on him before the revenant loomed over him, white eyes burning with rage.

Kuai’s hand moved without his permission, rising to brush against the catches on Scorpion’s mask. The revenant didn’t flinch as Kuai expertly removed his mask, letting him see the thin line of his mouth beneath. Scorpion’s jaw was set and Kuai could see the muscles twitching beneath the skin as he ground his teeth together.

Kuai’s fingers touched Scorpion’s cheek before splaying out to cradle the side of his face. Tears started falling unbidden and Kuai turned his head, hating himself for being so weak. He went to pull his hand away, wanting nothing more than to be left alone, but Scorpion’s hand settled over the back of his, holding it against his hot flesh.

“Did you only love Hanzo?” Scorpion asked. “Did you never love me?”

Kuai squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head as broken sobs bubbled past his lips. That wasn’t a fair question to ask. Kuai had been young when he met Scorpion and had been turned into a Cyber Lin Kuei shortly after that, only to then be killed and turned into a revenant under Quan Chi’s control. There had been no time for him to think about Scorpion as anything but a revenant.

“Could you…learn to love me?”

Kuai opened his eyes and shivered as Scorpion’s thumb brushed over his cheek. He didn’t know how to respond to that. How could he respond to that? He didn’t know what the plan was now that they had destroyed Kronika. Were they just going to let time continue how it was? Were they going to rewind time to some point in the past and let the future unfold from there? Were they going to wipe out everything they had worked so hard for because some people wanted a different future?

“I don’t know,” he whispered. “I can’t know. I…don’t….”

Scorpion’s lips pressed gently over his, silencing him. Kuai’s eyes widened as he tasted hellfire and tears fell harder as his body responded to the familiar taste. His hands latched onto Scorpion’s face, pulling him close as his mouth greedily sought out more. Scorpion growled against his mouth, opening and chasing the cold that oozed out of Kuai’s pores.

They rolled, Kuai now over Scorpion and pulling his headpiece off. His fingers buried themselves into the thick, black hair, tugging furiously on the length of leather holding the bun in place. Scorpion’s hands dug into his shoulders, pulling him closer as their kisses deepened and their teeth grazed each other’s lips. Someone’s flesh split and blood moved between them, coagulating quickly as it was forced to endure freezing and burning temperatures at the same time.

Kuai pulled his head away and spat out the chunky blood, his head spinning. He looked back at Scorpion and watched his pale eyes close. A full-body shiver wracked its way through Scorpion before he opened his eyes again, revealing a familiar expression. Kuai’s body reacted immediately, warming as his blood went south. He swallowed before moving closer to capture Scorpion’s lips again.

“I know you want Hanzo,” Scorpion whispered against his lips. “I’m sorry I cannot be him.”

“That isn’t fair to you,” Kuai murmured. “I shouldn’t have said it the way I did.”

Scorpion’s hands traveled down his body. Kuai shivered as the hands stopped at his waist, playing with his belt. White eyes glanced up at him before he looked away.

“I want to,” he murmured. “But…is this rushing things?”

“Yes,” Kuai sighed. “We don’t have to do anything.”

“Stay with me,” Scorpion’s hands tightened on his belt.

“I’m not leaving,” Kuai promised before he laid down beside Scorpion. “Not yet.”

Scorpion rested his head on Kuai’s shoulder and closed his eyes. Kuai ran his fingers through Scorpion’s hair before he settled down to rest, listening to the music blaring outside where the rest of the army was celebrating.

* * *

“So we’re all in agreement to rewind time to fix the mess that Kronika made,” Kitana said as she looked around at the gathered leaders. “But we haven’t agreed to the time that we should rewind to.”

“If we rewind to just before Kronika interfered, we would continue on as if nothing happened,” Cassie said.

“Sonya Blade would still be dead,” Kitana said. “And we would still be a threat as revenants.”

“That is the point where things started to get messed up,” Cassie pointed out.

“But Kronika would still exist in that point in time, wouldn’t she?” Sheeva asked.

“I have already wiped her from time,” Liu Kang said as he shifted in his seat. “She will not interfere regardless of when we decide to rewind time to.”

Kuai leaned forward. “Perhaps we should go back further,” he said.

Every head in the room turned to look at him. He saw Scorpion’s eyes narrow before he shook his head. Kuai took a breath and nodded his head.

“We should go back to the Mortal Kombat tournament,” he said. “Let time unfold from there. Without Raiden’s visions.”

“You want to go back that far?” Cassie asked. “But what about…?”

“I know, Casandra,” he sighed heavily. “But let’s think this through. Raiden was influenced by Kronika when he attempted to meddle with time, destroying the timeline that had originally existed. Without Kronika or anyone to shape the Hourglass, things will play out differently.”

“But a lot of us could never exist,” Cassie shook her head. “Me, Jacqui, Takeda….”

“I know. But, in that regards, none of us could survive either,” he said. He looked around at the other faces and leaned forward, resting his hand on the table. “The Mortal Kombat tournament was where this all started. Everything that happened originated from the decisions made in regards to that moment in time. If we go back then, erase the sands to let destiny shape itself, things will be different.”

“Shao Khan could win,” Liu Kang growled.

“And he could lose. Would we know the difference?”

“It is risky,” Scorpion said. “You would have me kill Bi-Han again?

Kuai did his best not to wince. “I do not think that anything short of intentionally interfering with my brother’s life will change what happens to him,” he said. “If we agree that there will be no Time Keeper, then we must allow time and destiny to shape itself based on our decisions. What better place to start than on Shang Tsung’s island?”

“He has a point,” Kitana sighed. “Liu Kang, will you do this?”

Liu Kang nodded. “Raiden and I will separate after we have rewound time and ensured that he does not receive visions.” He looked around at the gathered leaders and smiled. “We have fought for this moment. I know it isn’t what we thought it would be, but I hope that the future we shape for ourselves ends with us as allies, not enemies.”

Kuai heard Baraka growl, but everyone else nodded their agreement. They all rose at the same time and left Kharon’s cabin, stepping out into the gloomy Netherrealm day to watch Liu Kang begin to rewind time. Scorpion’s hand pressed against his before the other man bumped his shoulder.

“I will find you, Kuai Liang,” he murmured into his ear as sand started swirling around them. “We will redeem our clans together.”

“I hope that is the outcome for us, Scorpion,” Kuai murmured as he turned his head to watch Scorpion’s body turn to sand. “Until we meet again, my fire.”

* * *

Scorpion watched the specter of Sub-Zero knock Johnny Cage flat on his backside. It was not often that he felt fear, but the taste in his mouth was nothing short of bile-tinged saliva that always came right before he was sick. He could hear Quan Chi’s voice like spiders in his mind, scrambling over his consciousness as he attempted to call him back, but he wasn’t interested in listening at the moment.

Sub-Zero was declared the winner of the match and he helped Johnny Cage back to his feet. Johnny Cage said something stupid and egotistical, but he shook Sub-Zero’s hand before the parted ways. Scorpion tracked Sub-Zero as he left the ring, heading into the Emperor’s palace to rest. Scorpion’s eyes narrowed before he opened a gate to Hell and teleported behind the fighter.

He received an elbow to the nose as soon as he was on solid ground. He grunted as he felt his nose snap, only to gasp in surprise as he was grabbed and slammed against the wall. Brown eyes narrowed over the top of Sub-Zero’s black facemask and puffs of condensation rose from the slits in the mask as the other man breathed.

“What do you want, specter?” Sub-Zero growled.

It was not Bi-Han’s voice that left the other man. It was younger, a little rougher, and missing that touch of arrogance that Bi-Han had up until Scorpion had ripped his spine out. This was not the same Sub-Zero that he had killed. This was someone else, someone that had chosen to wear the colours of a dead man to enter a tournament where the final combatants almost always died.

“I thought you were someone I knew,” Scorpion said.

“You thought wrong,” the young Sub-Zero growled. “I know who you are, Scorpion, and I know that it was you who killed my brother.”

“I killed Bi-Han,” he agreed. “In the Mortal Kombat tournament five years ago. Shang Tsung declared it a fight to the death. It was him or me.”

“You could have given him a clean death; you didn’t have to decapitate him!”

“He didn’t deserve a clean death, child,” Scorpion snarled as he burst into flames, driving the younger man off with a cry of fear. “After what he did to my family, he only deserved suffering!”

The young Sub-Zero stumbled back, clutching his hands to his chest. Scorpion could see the flesh bubbling and blistering from where his flames had touched him. Tears were gathering on the young man’s lashes, completely understandable considering how much pain he was likely in. Guilt punched him in the gut and he put out his flames, watching the young warrior attempt to breathe ice over his blistering hands.

“I…here,” Scorpion offered his hands. “I can….”

“Stay back,” Sub-Zero shuffled away. “Fight well, Scorpion. I’ll pay you back in kind when we face each other in the arena.”

Scorpion watched him go, mentally berating himself for being so stupid. This Sub-Zero had no business being in the tournament. He was little more than a child, probably running on little more than over-glorified stories of what his brother had been before his death. He was going to get himself killed.

He made a split decision then and there that he was going to look after the idiot and ensure that he survived to see the end of the tournament. Several years later, it would be Kuai Liang that pulled Scorpion out of Quan Chi’s pool where he resurrected the dead and enslaved them, smiling and telling him that their debt was paid now that Scorpion was properly alive again. They would shock the entire room when they kissed, but the surprise would be stamped down by Kenshi Takahashi very loudly telling Johnny that he owed him ten bucks.


End file.
